Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[71jason]

Spirited Monday Musings:

So, no one watches TV anymore ... Soon we'll all be watching our content on iPhones, right Mr. Iger? Then, please explain the 16 million plus that watched The Walking Dead premiere live last night.

Makes Universal Creative's job easier for next year's HHN.

Speaking of the above, understand that the bloggers and lifestylers and 400-pounders demanding DAS at City Hall are what is spurring this move. Much like no real intelligent monies person of class would move to Golden Oak, Disney is looking for rubes with money. The folks who have been buying their way into DL's club over the past decade.

This is not like Anaheim or Tokyo were the clubs were meant to be secret and exclusive places for the monied elite to do business, break bread or entertain guests. Orlando, after the 2008 financial apocalypse, simply doesn't have the folks to buy memberships. Watch this one, folks and be ready to hear 'I told you so' from me.

No argument from this local. What little money there is in Orlando--old and new--is loathe to drive west of Millenia. An extra bone to throw the -bloggers sounds about right. Wonder if they'll serve chicken nuggets ...

Funny how UNI has been running HHNs spots nonstop since around Sept. 10th, but Disney is doing no promo at all for Food and Wine. Weird since both events truly attract the worst guests.

In town, both promote heavily on the radio. I've seen a few F&W billboards, too, tho not as many as for HHN.

As for worst guests--from what I hear, Night of Joy has both beat. That said, those three events--and Christmas week (the other CM bugaboo)--all have one thing in common: far too many guests in too small a space. Being herded like cattle seems to bring out the worst in guests.

 

[lazyboy97o]

But, if it's a great ride, brilliantly executed, and enjoyed by the guests; who really cares if it's based on an original Disney creation, a purchased franchise or an acquired IP?

DAK, DHS, and Epcot (to a lesser extent) all need more things to do.
I just returned from 10 days in the parks, and for the first time ever, I felt that we had done all that we needed/wanted to do within the first 7 days. By the last few days, we were only attending parks based on ADR's, not on the need to tick certain rides off our list. With very few exceptions, we had done them all - multiple times.

My issue is not that it is based on a property, but my fear that Disney will only accelerate in tossing them in wherever. Just being a great ride is not enough, they need to be part of a larger experience. The parks need distinct identities and just tossing in properties wherever there is room does not help this.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Show me - and not a vanity blog with 3 readers

Easy enough...

http://www.fanfiction.net/movie/Avatar/?&srt=1&r=103&p=1 Notice the most recent posted 10/14/2013... Plus there are Avatar crossover fan fiction written on that site...

http://avatarfanfic.livejournal.com/

http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=173966 (have to be a member to get into their forums though, but there is fan fiction there as well)

And that is just with a basic and quick Google search... So, still want to say there is no Avatar fan fiction out there?

 

[Atomicmickey]

So, Spirit, before you leave (if you haven't already) just curious on
your personal take on the art and video from this past week. It seems
like having revealed all that they have, the scale of the environment work
that they've shown is on a scale similar to Carsland.

So what are your rambling thoughts? I'm simultaneously encouraged and frightened,
because it looks like the model and plans are pretty well thought through and in
place . . .and it's pretty spectacular and ambitious, but everything I've heard about
the budget makes me wonder how in the heck they'll get it done for that.

So, both from a personal standpoint, and from looking into the Spirited Crystal
Ball, what do you think we're in for, here?

 

[The Mom]

As for worst guests--from what I hear, Night of Joy has both beat. That said, those three events--and Christmas week (the other CM bugaboo)--all have one thing in common: far too many guests in too small a space. Being herded like cattle seems to bring out the worst in guests.

Bingo!

 

[nytimez]

My issue is not that it is based on a property, but my fear that Disney will only accelerate in tossing them in wherever.

The good news is that the word "accelerate" doesn't seem to exist at TDO.

 

[SirLink]

The good news is that the word "accelerate" doesn't seem to exist at TDO.

That wouldn't be a TDO issue that would be a Burbank issue ... I just want more mature franchises than Pixar/WDAS as the solution for everything.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

@WDW1974 , Lee, @TheVisionarySoul .... so, I know I shouldn't take Jim Hill seriously by any stretch of the imagination, but he almost sounds like he knows something in regards to the DAK projects in his latest article (not sure if I can link here?) ....

Particularly, the interesting little nibbles of information regarding the Tree of Life (and nets currently surrounding it) and how the leaves all need to be switched out. I'm assuming the structure itself at this point will be 'fixed' so the damn thing doesn't fall apart more and crash onto the pavement. Have you heard anything about this?

Also, the SW ideas he posted are similar to the ones you've shared recently and I was wondering if there has been any more details at to what would flesh out a re-do of TL. Would it be a simple re-skin of the current land with a small SW area or would SW encompass more of the current land?

And will the same happen to TL in the Magic Kingdom, or will SW be contained to DHS only?

 

[nytimez]

Yeah, the Christmas ornament selection sucks now. I remember when they had that 50% off sale 4-5 years ago all the different kinds of ornaments they have now its a joke and the prices especially on those ear hat ornaments is ridiculous.

The ear ornaments look nice but I've read that they break if you even look at them funny, so I didn't buy any of them.

Some people who bought them via the Disney Web site say they even arrive broken, and I saw at least one complaint that said the replacement for the broken ornament also arrived broken.

Used to be Disney stuff broke when you got home. Now, they're selling it pre-broken (due to guest demand).

That's the Disney Difference, in action!

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

The ear ornaments look nice but I've read that they break if you even look at them funny, so I didn't buy any of them.

Some people who bought them via the Disney Web site say they even arrive broken, and I saw at least one complaint that said the replacement for the broken ornament also arrived broken.

Used to be Disney stuff broke when you got home. Now, they're selling it pre-broken (due to guest demand).

That's the Disney Difference, in action!

They are too expensive for me. If I'm going to spend $25 on an ornament, it'll be a hand blown glass one made by a local glass maker not one with a cheap looking paint job made by machines in China. :\

As much as I love the Pop! vinyl figures (namely, the Muppets set and the Monsters Inc ones) I can't bring myself to waste $9 each on such a shabby paint job.

 

[WDW1974]

Yeah, the Christmas ornament selection sucks now. I remember when they had that 50% off sale 4-5 years ago all the different kinds of ornaments they have now its a joke and the prices especially on those ear hat ornaments is ridiculous.

Those ear had ornaments have been at my local outlet store for $9.99 for the last three months. Doesn't look like they sell many.

 

[WDW1974]

So, Spirit, before you leave (if you haven't already) just curious on
your personal take on the art and video from this past week. It seems
like having revealed all that they have, the scale of the environment work
that they've shown is on a scale similar to Carsland.

So what are your rambling thoughts? I'm simultaneously encouraged and frightened,
because it looks like the model and plans are pretty well thought through and in
place . . .and it's pretty spectacular and ambitious, but everything I've heard about
the budget makes me wonder how in the heck they'll get it done for that.

So, both from a personal standpoint, and from looking into the Spirited Crystal
Ball, what do you think we're in for, here?

You should never base opinions on art and models because as history has proven again and again, the best stuff winds up in coffee table books.

That said, I trust Cameron's commitment to quality. I've said since the. Beginning that if this gets built it will be good. Nothing has changed my mind.

 

[Nemo14]

Last year I bought some ornaments that were not Christmasy at all, but were classic characters, and they were quite well done. They came out with more of them this year, and they are nothing but crap.

 

[sublimesting]

I purchased the Hitch hiker ornament. It's actually really cool and on my Halloweentree now. But when I was looking at it I thought: I wonder why Gus has no feet, is he a flying ghost? I looked through all 20 ornaments and found the one where the feet weren't broken off. I told the CM who said he would remove the others from stock. So, yeah, their stuff is so cheap now days it comes pre-broken.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

You should never base opinions on art and models because as history has proven again and again, the best stuff winds up in coffee table books.

That said, I trust Cameron's commitment to quality. I've said since the. Beginning that if this gets built it will be good. Nothing has changed my mind.

I think for the sake of all of our sanity (or, what we have left) we need to start thinking of this as an imaginary land and not "avatar". Look at it from a new perspective... it's an imaginary land with made up plants and made up animals and some big blue things. Cool. Just remove all the titles.

It'll be fun to watch it get built (even though it will take 3-4 years... YEARS. god.) and painted.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

You should never base opinions on art and models because as history has proven again and again, the best stuff winds up in coffee table books.

That said, I trust Cameron's commitment to quality. I've said since the. Beginning that if this gets built it will be good. Nothing has changed my mind.

The real issue is if this project will be enough to make WDW fresh again. It won't, but the BoD needs to see that now rather than 2017.

 

[ABQ]

I'm going to WDW in the next few days. I'm going to make a documentary about monorail footers. I'm going to investigate this and solve the puzzle once and for all. I need to know where in Epcot I can go to get as close as possible to the alleged footer. Is it on test track?

with F&W going on at Epcot, perhaps you can get a glimpse from somewhere around the WoL pavilion, as it will be open for the festivities.

 

[SirLink]

The real issue is if this project will be enough to make WDW fresh again. It won't, but the BoD needs to see that now rather than 2017.

Also you have to think about why the art was shown in Tokyo. Might it be because WDI is desperate to sell a big project to OLC?

 

[stlphil]

I have it on extremely good authority that the only name for the land is:

PANDORA: The World of AVATAR

That's it. Take it or leave it. Normally I'd say to wait and see what the final name will be because things change, but this title doesn't seem like it will change one bit.

Well that name just rolls right off the tongue.

Generally right idea, but just like many other things lately lousy execution.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I think for the sake of all of our sanity (or, what we have left) we need to start thinking of this as an imaginary land and not "avatar". Look at it from a new perspective... it's an imaginary land with made up plants and made up animals and some big blue things. Cool. Just remove all the titles.

It'll be fun to watch it get built (even though it will take 3-4 years... YEARS. god.) and painted.

Why? What does that accomplish?